Prosthetic joint replacement is a common surgical procedure with at least 1 million joint replacements being implanted each year worldwide (Bullough, J. Joint Bone Surg. (Br) 1994, 76, 687-688). However, approximately 10% of prosthetic joint replacements fail within 10 years. Most often these failures are attributed to a detrimental biological response triggered by the generation of fine metal wear particles that dislodge from the artificial implant surfaces during normal activities. Such biological response can cause an inflammatory irritation of the adjacent tissue and of the bone to which the implant is attached, causing debilitating pain to return, and in some instances, the need for a costly second restorative surgery (Bae, J. Bone Joint Surg. B 1981, 63, 435-440; Kovacik et al., Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. 2003, 379, 186-194; and Tuan, J. Am. Acd. Ortho. Surg. 2008, 16, S42).
Therefore, there exists a need for effective therapies for prolonging the functional life of a prosthetic implant and treating aseptic osteolysis associated with a prosthetic implant.